COME MOVE WITH US!

Find rhythm, groundedness, and flow with dance and yoga classes at Ananya Dance Theatre’s Shawngrām Institute for Performance & Social Justice. Most classes operate on a sliding scale basis, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds!

Register for classes

  • You! Ananya Dance Theatre offers dance, yoga, and mobility classes appropriate for many, varied levels of experience. Some classes are geared toward those with no dance experience who are seeking new and joyful ways of moving; others are geared toward technically accomplished dancers seeking to deepen and enrich their craft. Still more are somewhere in between!

    Whatever your movement background, we hope that you will find a class offering that nourishes you. Uncertain about whether a certain class is a good fit for you? reach out to admin@ananyadancetheatre.org and we'll connect you with someone who can help you discern.

  • Classes are held at the Shawngrām Institute for Performance & Social Justice (1197 University Ave W, St. Paul, MN 55104). Limited parking is available in the small lot adjacent to the building. There is ample free street parking on Griggs St and Dunlap St.

  • Most classes operate on a sliding scale that starts at $0, with a recommended contribution of $15 per class.

    Certain class series (such as Youth Yorchhā, Summer Intensive, and the Yorchhā Seminar Program) have a higher set tuition, but scholarships are available. No one will be turned away for lack of funds! Please reach out to admin@ananyadancetheatre.org with scholarship inquiries.

  • We recommend bringing the following:

    • a water bottle labeled with your name

    • a gym towel

    • a journal or notebook (if appropriate)

    • a yoga mat (if appropriate)

    • a light overlayer

    • easily removable footwear (no shoes on the studio floor!)

    • an open heart and a willingness to stretch your comfort zone

  • Most classes do not require advance preparation; however, please refer to the class description and/or your registration confirmation email for any class-specific guidance.

    We do ask class participants to fill out a participation waiver before joining us. If this is your first time joining us, please complete the waiver before you arrive.

  • Please do. Registering in advance helps our instructors prepare for your class session, and helps us track our class attendance for grant reporting purposes!

    If you forget to register, don’t worry— it’s okay to drop in! Just note that we may ask you to register day-of from the mobile registration platform.

  • Shawngrām is resistance as an active shaping force, the vibration that weaves together many fragments, and the critical resonance that holds justice work together.

    The Shawngrām Institute for Performance & Social Justice is Ananya Dance Theatre’s physical home and gathering place at 1197 University Ave. This space is the manifestation of our conviction that professional art can be embedded in neighborhood life. In this space, we practice (train) together, rehearse, lead workshops and community events, teach weekly classes, and host our annual Summer Intensive.

check out the gallery below to learn more about current class offerings.

  • Water Dances

    October 29–December 3, 2025
    Wednesdays, 10am–11:15am

    A weekly dedication to the vitality and life force of Water. In class, we will offer breath, dance, meditation, story, song, and reflection. Each class will take shape a little differently, staying responsive to the ongoing movements protecting the sacredness and longevity of water worldwide. Water Dances will begin with grounding movement, flow into dedicated time for personal practice/research/reflection, and close with collective sharing. All who are committed to deepening their relationship with water are welcome to participate.

  • Yoga: Aligning with Land

    October 26–November 30, 2025
    Sundays, 9am–10am (hybrid)

    In order for us to find correct alignment in any yoga posture, we have to first connect ourselves to the ground below the mat. How can we build a yoga practice that moves from the land up? How are practices of relationality also building blocks for regenerative body practices? This class brings postural, breath, and energetic practices of Vinyasa Yoga into conversation with indigenous philosophies of relationality. Learning methods include meditation, reflection, reading, pranayama, and vinyasa sequencing. We will introduce the Yoga fundamentals of structural and energetic alignment while moving towards right-relationship with place and community.

  • Youth Yorchhā (4–6)

    November 8–29, 2025
    Saturdays, 9am–10am

    Leap like tigers, swing like elephants, sneak like lizards, play in rhythm streams in this Youth Yorchhā series! Students will learn to move their bodies through a creative storytelling lens. Through play, music, and crafts, we will incorporate the basic principles of Yorchhā to build connections with one another and the earth. This series is for young people ages 4-6.

    Recommended tuition for this series is $25/session. This series is cumulative, so we recommend registering for all 4 sessions.

  • Youth Yorchhā (7–12)

    November 3–24, 2025
    Mondays, 4:30pm–6pm

    Participants will learn the fundamentals of Yorchhā technique through a creative storytelling lens. Playing in embodied expressions of rhythm, we will build connections with one another and the lands we stand on. We will culminate in a collectively created choreography based on the stories we choose to share, the languages we learn in, and the lineages we come from.

    This series is intended for young people ages 7–12. All levels of movement experience are welcome in the space! No dance background is necessary.

    Recommended tuition for this series is $25/session. The series is cumulative, so we recommend registering for all four sessions.

  • Move Freely

    November 7–December 19, 2025
    Fridays, 4:30pm–6pm

    Led by dance educator, pilates instructor, and veteran Yorchhā practioner Alexandra Eady, this movement series centers sustainable ways of moving for your body. With a focus on joint mobility, core stability, and full-body articulation, Eady will guide the class in an exuberantly joyful movement practice. What ways of moving best honor our individual movement patterns and body histories? How can we best support our mobility and freedom of movement as our bodies navigate change? And how can we empower ourselves and each other in finding sustainable movement in all areas of our lives? You will leave each class session with a written individual plan for continued mobility practice outside the studio.

  • Rhythmic Joy

    November 7–21, 2025
    Fridays, 3pm–4:30pm

    Can't help but groove to a funky bass line? Air-drumming passionately as the drummer breaks it down? So are we— so come break it down with us at Rhythmic Joy! This 3-class workshop experience from ADT dancer Davente Gilreath asks us to consider the human body as a musical instrument. How does thinking of the body as a musical instrument within the music change your approach to movement? How does the body produce rhythm even when there is no sound? The workshop will feature heavy emphasis on body isolations, polyrhythms and quick footwork as we journey to discover how our bodies create music. Recommended for adults at all levels of experience (including no experience!) who are looking for opportunities to move in community.

  • Yoga, Together

    October 9 & November 12, 2025
    9am–10am

    Practices of care and intergenerational wisdom are transmitted when young and old share space together. Yoga, Together is a joyful and gentle approach to pranayama (breath technique), asana (body postures), meditation, and reflection, inviting all ages to connect and recenter in an intergenerational setting. Bring your family! Bring a friend! Yoga Together invites us to practice care for “me” within the “we.” Modifications and ample props will be available for all participants to use.

    This class is recommended for ages 5 and above. Ages 10 and below must be accompanied by a guardian.